After uproar, busts moved from Delhi University to ABVP office

NEW DELHI: A day after busts of Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh and Veer Savarkar were installed outside the Arts Faculty, the Delhi Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad on Wednesday instructed its office-bearers in Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) to shift the busts till the time permission is taken from the authorities.

DUSU president Shakti Singh said: “We are in talks with the university administration over the issue.”

The RSS affiliated ABVP-led Delhi University Students’ Union had installed the busts on Tuesday outside the Arts Faculty without permission, leading to a controversy. ABVP’s state media in-charge Ashutosh Singh said on Wednesday that installation of the busts was an initiative of the DUSU. The ABVP is of the view that it should have been done with due permission.

No immediate reaction was available from the varsity. A senior ABVP functionary said: “It (ABVP) has a clear view that the statues should be installed on the DU campus with the permission of the varsity administration and other concerned authorities.”

“The students’ union had been demanding from the administration to install the statues for a long time and the administration should have considered the demands of the students’ union. Due to this, the students’ union had to take such a stand in protest,” he said.

The ABVP has made it clear to the students’ union office-bearers that the busts should be kept in the DUSU office until permission is given, he added.

The move has been criticised by the Congress-affiliated NSUI and Left-backed AISA, which said Savarkar cannot be kept on the same pedestal as Bose and Bhagat Singh.

Delhi University Students’ Union polls to be held on September 12

The election for Delhi University Students’ Union will be held on September 12, according to an official notification. The last date for filing of nomination papers is September 4 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is September 5. The date for counting of votes will be announced later, the varsity said.

Last year, the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad’s  candidates won three posts, while Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India emerged victorious on one.